The present invention relates to a combine harvester.
Publication U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,197 B1 makes known a combine harvester for harvesting agricultural crop material such as grain, corn, beans, or even grass seed, in which the crop material that has been harvested using a header is separated into different material flows using a plurality of working units located inside the combine harvester. A cleaning device is located in a region of the combine harvester that is close to the ground; the cleaning device further subdivides the grains and admixtures such as chaff or ear components which were separated using a threshing device and a separating device. For this purpose, the cleaning device includes two sieves which are situated horizontally one above the other, and which include adjustable sieve lamella and a cleaning fan. Only separated grains and smaller admixtures fall through the sieves which move in an oscillating manner. Larger and, in particular, lighterweight admixtures are conveyed out of the combine harvester via the flow that is created by the cleaning fan.
A quantity of crop material that has not fallen through the lower sieve, which is referred to as the “tailings”, is forced out of the sieve at its rear end via the motion, and it falls due to its weight into an auger sump in which a conveyor auger is situated which is oriented transversely to the longitudinal extension of the combine harvester. This conveyor auger conveys the crop material toward one longitudinal side of the combine harvester and transfers it to an elevator in which the crop material is conveyed via conveyor plates situated on a circulating chain to the threshing mechanism which is situated in a higher region of the combine harvester, so that it may be returned to the threshing process. The grains that pass through the lower sieve, and which contain the fewest admixtures possible, fall due to their weight into a further auger sump in which a further conveyor auger is situated which extends transversely to the longitudinal extension of the combine harvester. This conveyor auger conveys the crop material toward one longitudinal side of the combine harvester and transfers it to an elevator in which the crop material is conveyed via conveyor plates situated on a circulating chain to the crop-material storage device which is situated in a higher region of the combine harvester, in order to store it for the interim.
To improve the transfer of the crop material from the particular conveyor auger to the particular elevator, it is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,197 B1 that the rotational axis of the conveyor auger and the lower deflection axle for the circulating chain of the elevator are situated such that they are offset relative to one another. As a result, the conveyor auger conveys the crop material into a transfer element which corresponds to the intake region of the elevator, and which is approximately conical in shape, one lateral surface of which is open toward the intake region of the elevator. The purpose of this is to ensure that the conveyor plates of the elevator are filled more evenly. Since, however, the quantity of crop material to be conveyed is essentially not limited by the distribution of the crop material onto the conveyor plates of the elevator, but rather is limited by the cross section in the side panel of the combine harvester in the region of the intake region of the elevator, it is not possible to increase the conveying performance of the conveyor device using a design as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,197 B1.
A further disadvantage of the combine harvester known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,197 B1 is that, due to the conical design of the transfer element, crop material becomes jammed, in particular when it is moist, since it is not possible to actively convey the crop material into the elevator, and, instead, it is merely pressed into the elevator by crop material that arrives subsequently.